On Thursday, an Argentine construction worker experienced an incredible run of luck. Antonio Miranda won ARS$100 million at the Casino Club in Rio Gallegos, which is equivalent to US$788,850. The location, however, refused to pay out the prize.

Rio Gallegos Casino Club in Argentina

The exterior of the Casino Club in Rio Gallegos, Argentina, which is in Argentina. The establishment is refusing to pay a gambler who won a large sum on a slot machine a week ago. (Image courtesy of World Organizations)

 

Miranda sought assistance from a casino employee after winning the jackpot on the slot machine he was playing. The employee walked him through the process of collecting the money. Initially, a cashier congratulated him on his win and informed him that the casino would be paying out his prize soon. But things took a completely different turn after that.

 

Instead of the money, he was given a slew of reasons, and the casino attempted to avoid paying him by claiming that it was their fault. When the floor supervisor arrived, she attempted to use the common exit technique of a “malfunction,” but she was unsuccessful. She immediately turned off the machine, and when Miranda tried to defend his right to his winnings, she called him “dishonest.” She then restarted the machine.

 

A construction worker in Argentina earns about ARS$360,000 per year, which is about $2,838 in US currency. A jackpot win like Miranda’s would completely change the course of virtually anyone’s life.

 

The Casino Cannot Be Wrong

The man insisted that there was no problem with the machine, but the unidentified employee simply denied his claims. Miranda even attempted to reach an agreement. The floor manager, on the other hand, was not convinced.

 

Miranda was ultimately successful in convincing her supervisor to raise the issue with her superiors by insisting on it. However, the person claimed that she was unable to contact them despite numerous attempts. Instead, she reverted to her old tricks and accused Miranda of lying. She did it again this time, though.

 

There are numerous examples of casinos that have consistently failed to live up to their half of the contract over the course of their history. Too often, casinos, with the assistance of regulators, believe they can use a “malfunction” as a trump card. This was the case with the Treasure Island slot machine winner and the BetMGM roulette player.

 

In some of these cases, the house triumphs. However, when the two parties are unable to reach a friendly agreement, it is time to escalate the conflict.

 

Competing with the House

Miranda has already contacted a law firm in the hopes of reaching a favorable resolution. The attorneys have begun the process by filing complaints with the local police and the consumer protection agency.

 

According to statements made to the local media by one of the attorneys, the casino authorities did not interact with the company. Regardless, they expect it to proceed in this manner in order to “open a mediation instance prior to the judicial actions.”

 

Furthermore, he gave the impression that there is evidence, in addition to witnesses, that supports the man. He claimed that the bells and whistles choir began playing immediately after the significant award was won. At that point, a large crowd had gathered around the machine to photograph it. These will be included in the lawsuit filed against the casino.

 

The casino has remained silent and has not yet issued a statement to the public. If the case is heard by a judge, the verdict could go either way depending on whether or not there is evidence of a flaw.

 

The vast majority of malfunctions are caused by poorly developed algorithms or computer code. However, proving that there was no error on the internal level is difficult. Miranda and the rest of his defense team now bear the burden of proof. However, he should not consider leaving the construction industry just yet.